The Miracle Manicure

I’m so stoked because today I got to A) meet Tammy Taylor in person B) try out her new Miracle Manicure Base Coat, which is such a unique product that when I originally read about it on Friday, April 1, I thought it was an April Fools’ Joke.

Here’s the deal: It’s a light-cured base coat that can make any regular nail polish last like a gel-polish, Tammy says. Today, she and several members of her team visited the NAILS office and gave us all “Miracle Manicures.”

Those are my nails in the photo (done in Tammy Taylor L.A. Red regular polish), and, while I can’t speak yet as to how it will last (I’ll do that next Thursday), there are two things that I already like about it. Two coats of the Miracle Manicure base coat totally smoothed out my nail ridges so that my polish looks smooth, and it has a shinier finish than a polish manicure usually does. (I’d say the shine level is comparable to that of a gel manicure.) Actually, I just thought of two more things I like about it: This new base coat actually makes the polish dry faster than it usually does (about five times faster, Tammy says) and it’s been several hours and I haven’t chipped anything yet. (That probably sounds pathetic, but I’m known for chipping a polish manicure within hours, which is why I generally choose light sheer colors where the chips aren’t as noticeable).

We’ll likely be running a full step-by-step with photos in the magazine soon, as well as posting it on our Technique channel, but in the meantime, the basic steps are:
1. Prep nails as usual.
2. Apply a coat of Tammy Taylor Miracle Manicure Base Coat.
3. Cure in a UV or LED light. (Tammy Taylor Nails offers a UV light, but Tammy says you can use any UV nail light.)
4. Apply a second coat of Tammy Taylor Miracle Manicure Base Coat.
5. Cure. Wipe off the tacky layer.
6. Apply any brand of regular nail polish. (No curing necessary.)
7. Apply a second coat of nail polish. (No curing.)
8. Apply any top coat. (No curing). That’s it.

Tammy recommends listing the “Miracle Manicure” as a new manicure offering on your salon menu, as opposed to just an upsell on a traditional manicure. She suggests pricing the service between $20 to $35 (without a spa manicure) or $35 to $50 (with a spa manicure).

To remove the polish, simply use any polish remover (no soaking required). That will reveal the base coat, still shiny underneath. (Tammy says some of her testers wore the base coat plain.) To remove the base coat, all you have to do is buff it off lightly. I’m definitely curious to try out this removal process, but I want to wait at least a week before I remove the color. Tammy says it will add about an extra seven to eight days of wear to whatever your client’s typical polish wear is.

Stay tuned to From the Editors to find out how the manicure lasts on the NAILS staff. In the meantime, here are some photos from Tammy’s visit:

Tammy Taylor (second from left) brought team members Yvette Cotton, Maria Herrera, and Karina Penazola with her to the NAILS office.

Tammy Taylor and I smile for the camera and show off my freshly polished nails.

Tammy had a little reunion with Ed Bobit (center), founder of NAILS’ parent company Bobit Business Media, who she hadn’t seen in about 17 years. She also met Ty Bobit (far right), CEO/president.